Heathland fires rage on across Britain

No, this is not a story from some tinderbox forest in the American west. From an article by Ben Mitchell and Mike Hornby in the Independent (UK): Hundreds of firefighters are continuing to battle heathland fires which have been burning in locations across the UK for several days. Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service is still tackling heathland fires which broke out in the Swinley Forest area earlier in the week, while in Lancashire, crews continue to battle blazes in the West Pennine Moors.

Police investigating the Swinley Forest fire have arrested two youths on suspicion of arson. A Thames Valley Police spokesman said they were questioned about actions relating to an arson but it was not clear whether this was connected to Swinley Forest.

…Lancashire Fire Service said it hoped forecast rain would help stop the spread of moorland fires which had occupied the crews of 32 of the county's 39 fire stations for the best part of a week. Firefighters have now withdrawn from the scene at Bacup, in the southern Pennines, but a new blaze erupted in the early hours of today at Darwen, in the West Pennine Moors, the service said.

…Weather experts say that much-needed rain is expected to fall in areas of Scotland, Wales and North West England today but central and southern areas would have to wait until Saturday….

A less combustible moment at Hut Hill in Swinley Forest, shot by Andrew Smith, Wikimedia Commons via Geograph UK, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license